The Sixers unveiled their new choices for mascot on Monday and the trio features cartoonish versions of Ben Franklin (Big Ben), a dog (B. Franklin Dogg) and a moose (Phil E. Moose). Yes, a moose in Philadelphia. All three of the characters sport Sixers attire with B. Franklin Dogg even donning a Liberty Bell shaped hat with a 76ers logo.

I don’t love the Dogg or Moose, but I really do not get Big Ben. First off, “a penny saved is a penny earned” does not apply to NBA owners or players. Second, bald fat guys can be found in NBA media seating, not on the court.

But, whatever makes Philly happy. Although does anything make Philly fans happy? Is “none of the above” really the worst choice here?

The 76ers anthropomorphized rabbit mascot named Hip Hop who came on the scene in the Allen Iverson era to the thrill of nobody has gone the way of the Dodo bird.

The new owners of the 76ers surveyed their season ticket holders and were looking for ways to improve the game-night experience. (One might suggest the best way to do that right now is to have games.) What fans wanted was the rabbit mascot to disappear, like Jimmy Hoffa.

To spare the sensibilities of the one or two children who weren’t scared to death by the rabbit, the team will say that Hip Hop fell in love, married and moved away to start a family. Apparently, it either was that or announce that they were going to boil him in a pot on a really big stove in a remake of “Fatal Attraction”….

The task of coming up with a replacement for Hip Hop will fall to two firms specializing in the business. One is Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, which began as the workshop of the late creator of the Muppets. The other is Raymond Entertainment Group, whose founder is Dave Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic.

Do the 76ers really need a mascot? Well, as long as it isn’t an anthropomorphized cheese steak, we’ll give it a chance.